With very few exceptions, the juice from grapes is naturally clear and colorless. Red wine is produced by a process called maceration, in which the skins, seeds, and stems of the grapes remain in contact with the pressed juice, and give the wine its characteristic red color. Tiny fragments from the grapes remain in red wine after bottling, as sediment, which is why it is usually best to drink your red wines after they have been decanted and allowed to breathe.

The best red wines come from regions where the growing conditions are favorable for the particular grapes being grown there. These growing conditions include the climate and weather, the amount of daily sunlight during the growing season, temperature, soil composition, water, disease resistance, and location (altitude, proximity to large bodies of water and access to vineyards for routine maintenance and inspection for both individuals on foot and necessary equipment).

When you are shopping for white wine online, you don't need to sacrifice quality for money. At City Wine Cellar, we are no normal wine shop; we want your online experience to be as good as our retail experience. Here are some things to keep in mind when you are shopping for your next white wine.

White wines come in many style and varietals. The body, flavor, and color of white wine can vary because of the type of grape and whether or not oak is used to age the wine. Generally speaking, the more golden the color of a white wine, the longer the wine has been in oak. White wines that have not been aged in oak will be lighter and crisper in flavor. White wines do not need to be decanted, although it still helps to let them breathe.

Whether you are shopping online for a fine white wine to pair with seafood or a light meal, or whether your tastes lean towards a sweet dessert wine, City Wine Cellar has you covered. We stock only the best white wines, from regions that are most suited to them. We encourage you to browse our collection of Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, White Wine Blends and other white wines.

Dry white wines are aromatic and tangy, while sweet white wines tend to be fruity and rich. White wine is often consumed as an aperitif before a meal, with desserts, or between courses. As a rule, white wine is supposed to feel refreshing and light in the mouth, while red wine tends to feel heavier. White wines are ideal refreshments during warm weather.

Sometimes you want more than just a simple red or white wine to accompany your meal or celebration. Here is where you can find our unique selection of other wines, including sweet dessert wines including port, madiera, and ice wines, fruit wines including arbor mist, plum wine, and Bokbunja, or excellent rice wines like Japanese sake and shochu, Korean soju and nang ju, and wines from China.

Liquor refers to any kind of distilled alcoholic beverages, including whiskey, vodka, brandy, rum, and tequila. When a liquor is distilled, it is heated until it becomes a gas, which is then cooled through a tube before being returned to its liquid state. The distillation process removes excess water, increasing the concentration of flavor and alcohol in the liquor. Although distillation is a complicated process, distilled liquors are popular for their sweetness, their complex flavor profiles, and their ability to mix well in cocktails.

City Wine Cellar is proud to carry a wide variety of liquors, spirits, and liqueurs, including Anise-Flavored liquor from all over the world, brandy made from distilled wine, cognac, cordials made with various fruits, herbs, spices, and flowers, gin made with a variety of herbs and flavorings, pre-mixed cocktails made using a variety of classic recipes; spiced, white, and dark rum; silver, reposado, añejo and gold tequila, vodka from Russia, France, and all around the world; and the best in single malt, blended, Irish, Canadian, Bourbon and rye whiskeys.

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Cognac

Cognac

When you think of Cognac, you often picture a bunch of old men sipping and smoking cigars while disputing politics. These days, AOC regulations require that all liquors called "cognac," it must be made using specified grapes, the most common of which is Ugni blanc (usually 90%), then distilled twice in copper pot stills and aged at least two years in French oak barrels. Many view cognac as an unapproachable liquor, but recently many have changed their opinion about it. Its delicate character and complexity of grapes and barrel flavors in cognac are changing the opinions about this finely crafted variety of brandy.

The major grades of Cognac can be defined as follows:

Very Special (VS) is the youngest grade.

Very Special Old Pale (V.S.O.P.), also known as Very Superior Old Pale, is older, having spent a minimum of four years aging in wooden casks.

Extra Old (X.O.) cognac is older than the other grades, and stored at least a minimum of six years. Some manufacturers age their cognac as much as twenty years.

There are other grades such as Napoleon, Extra, Vieux, Vielle Reserve, and Hors d'age, but these are the major grades.